Gary Locke appointed as Kilmarnock manager on a permanent basis

Gary Locke has been appointed as Kilmarnock manager on a permanent basis.

Former Killie player Locke, who made 111 appearances over seven years for the Ayrshire side, re-joined the club as Allan Johnston’s assistant in the summer but was appointed interim boss following his departure in February.

New chairman Jim Mann has handed Locke a three-year deal at the Scottish Premiership side, with the former Hearts boss having lost just once in seven games since taking over at Rugby Park.

Locke told Sky Sports News HQ that while he was still disappointed with the way things ended for his former team mate Johnston, he was delighted to have his future sorted.

If we can in the bottom six top six it would be better - you get another game against Celtic obviously which helps the club financially.

“I’m delighted,” Locke said. “It’s dragged on a little bit longer than what I thought but I’m delighted to get my future sorted out and I’m now looking forward to pressing ahead with being the manager of Kilmarnock.

'Fantastic'

“We’ve got a lot of things to be doing between now and the end of the season and hopefully we can get that done in the next couple of weeks and look forward to preparing for next season as well.

“There’s a new chairman here now who has been fantastic with me personally over the last couple of weeks, and the other board of directors are really ambitious as well so it is a great club to part of.

“I’m still a bit disappointed with what happened with Allan because he brought me here but I’ve got a lot to thank him for, he was the reason why I came back to Kilmarnock and he said to me when he left that if I got the opportunity I was to try and take it so that is what I aim to do.”

Since taking over the reins in February, Locke has won two, drawn four and lost just one match, meaning the side are still in contention for a top six spot.

While it is still possible to secure a place in the top half of the Premiership, Locke said it wouldn’t be a disaster for the club if they didn’t.

“It will still be difficult,” Locke said. “We’ve got three games left and we need to win every game I would think if we’ve got any chance of the top six and we need other results to go our way but while it’s mathematically possible we’ve got to try.

“We’ve been on a decent run lately, disappointed last time out against Ross County and we’ve got a really tough fixture here tomorrow against Motherwell and if we want to get in the top six we need to try and win that one.

“I wouldn’t say it is vital, the club can get on with things if we do finish in the bottom six but financially it would certainly be a little bit better – you get another game against Celtic obviously which helps the club financially.

“We know it is going to be difficult, we will try our best to get there, but if we don’t it’s not the end of the world. We’ve got to try and finish the season really strongly and build towards next season.

Locke was coy on a possible reunion with Kris Boyd, who has been linked with a return to Killie for what would be his third spell at Rugby Park.

Boyd bagged 25 goals for Kilmarnock last season before returning to Rangers but has not been as prolific during this campaign.

Locke said: “It would be wrong for me to comment on other players at other teams. Kris is very much a Rangers player and they’ve got a lot of important games coming up at the moment.

“I think because I was sitting beside him at Ibrox on Saturday people have put two and two together but Kris Boyd is a close friend of mine and naturally everybody will link him with a return to Kilmarnock. If he became available, who knows? But at the moment he’s very much a Rangers player and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.”

Locke also told the Kilmarnock website: “I am absolutely delighted; it’s a great opportunity for me and for the club. I would like to say a huge thank you to the players as it was up to them to help me get the job and they have done just that. I’m over the moon.

“Over the last seven to eight weeks our fans support has made such a difference, I am looking forward to stepping out here tomorrow as manager of the club.

'Competitive'

“Without Allan Johnston’s encouragement and the backing of the board I would not be in this position, I am grateful for all their support.

“Now things have been confirmed I will be looking to put some plans in place. I would really like to bring sports science to the club, that is a key factor for me to help make us more competitive.

Over the last few weeks almost every player has come up to me and told me we need to appoint Gary as manager.

“We need to be producing young players. I am aware that’s what our fans would like to see. If we can make our young players quicker and stronger that will be beneficial to the club as a whole.”

Chairman Jim Mann said he was thrilled with the appointment.

“I am delighted we have been able to secure Gary on a permanent basis for the next three years,” he said. “Over the last few weeks almost every player has come up to me and told me we need to appoint him as manager. I think that is a great testament to his man management skills and the energy he has brought to training since taking over. This added to our recent results on the park put Gary in a very strong position.

“I was also conscious when hiring that we needed a long term plan. We needed someone who was capable of helping us develop our very own style of football ‘the Killie Way’ and ensuring that it filtered down the club.

“After spending some considerable time with Gary over the last few months I have no doubt he is the person to do this. We all wish him the best of luck going forward.”